Mode oei preventing the explosion of steam-boilers



gUNTE STATS rre THOS. S. EASTON, OF MOBILE, ALABAMA.

MODE OF PREVENTING THE EXPLOSION OF STEAM-BOILERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 2,454, dated February 12, 1842; Ressued June 11, 1842.

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS S. Easton, of the city of lrlobile, State of Alabama, have invented'a new and lmproved Mode ct' Preventing Steam-Boilers from Bursting or Their Flues from Oollapsing; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description.

The nature of my invention consists in placing a valve in the top of the flue (as at K) and of a size in proportion to the size of the boiler. The valve is ground into the seat from below and when raised tc its place is perfectly tight. Attached to the valvefwhich is of the same metal of the tine) is a stem l? of the same metal. lll hen the valve is placed in its seat it is supported by a brace l) of the form ordinarily used to secure the manliead of boilers, of from twelve to fifteen inches in span, and from six to eight inches in height. The feet of the brace rest on fusible metal plates placed on the top of the iue on each side of the valve and lengthwise of the flue. Through the top of the brace is a square hole to receive the valve-stein which is also square up to the thread of the screw, which is cut on the end, and which reaches above the brace and is received by a nut, which when screwed up forces the valve to its place. rThe feet of the brace resting on fusible metal plates (as before mentioned) encircled by simply a band of hard metal (E) rest-ing on the top of the flue. The plates to be made o f a fusible metal, or composition of metals that will melt at any degree of heat required, the band allowing the melted metal to run 0H between it and the flue-the feet of the brace D fitting the band E so exact as to force the metal downward, so that what remains (when the heat is reduced below the melting point,) of the metal, and the valve screwed np, it is ready for another operation.

The nut B (which is attached to the valve stem F on the top of the brace D) is made with a bow or arch running up from two of its sides, and forming an arch over the valve stem. This arch is em- 'braced by a socket on the end of what l call the driving rod which pierces the boiler perpendicular to the valve seat in the flue7 the hole in the shell being made steam tight by the stuffing box Gr and furnished on the upper end with a wrench H-with this driving rod the engineer can raise the valve at will-so that when any portion of the metal has been melted and run olf and the remainder cooled below the melting point the valve can be screwed up and the work of the boiler proceed. The driving rod is intended to obviate the necessity of cooling off the boiler (so that the safety valve could be got at from the inside to be replaced after an explosion of the valve), and thereby save time. The safety valve will werk equally well with or without the rod as to safety, the only difference is delay without` it. lVhen the valve is intended to work with the driving rod the valve stem must be square and the hole in the brace to correspond to keep the valve from turning with rod when in the act of screwing up, also a rivet with a long head on each side of the bands containing the metal to keep them in their place when screwing upwbut if the safety valve is used without the rod they are of no use, as the engineer who screws up the valve will be able to keep them in their place when screwing and after they are screwed uup nothing` can disturb them.

What l. claim as my invent-ion is- T he flue safety valve acted on by fusible metal which will let it down at any required degree of hea-t or steam pressure, alike protecting the steam boiler from bursting or its tine fre-ni collapsing, and l also claim the driving rod-for which invention desire to secure my rightv by Letters Patent, the flue safety valve and the driving rod being in conjunction.

lWashington City, l any. QS, 18412.

THOS. S. EASTON,

)Vitnesses JAMES Davis, LEON D. HARBAUGH.

[FIRST PRINTED 1913.] 

